Emelie's Horse Judging Team

Among the other things that we've been up to the past couple of weeks, Emelie has wrapped up her first year as a member of the Boone County 4-H Horse and Pony Judging Team. It's an activity that we didn't even know existed a year ago, and yet it's as if it was tailor-made for Em.

The team has nicknamed itself, "Small but Mighty" because only three members remained once the competitions season started. This isn't an activity for the faint of heart. It takes A LOT of time and work. However, they finished strong against larger teams from bigger programs. Here's the recap:

Competition #1: Team 4th Place, Emelie 4th Place Individual

Competition #2: Team 1st Place, Emelie 3rd Place Individual

Competition #3: No Team Competition, Emelie 42nd Place Individual

Competition #4 (State Qualifying Contest): Team 2nd Place, Emelie 3rd Place Individual

State Contest: Team 4th Place, Emelie 14th Place Individual

It still amazes me how well she did her first year out! Her coach is even talking of a national competition in the fall. And there are colleges that offer full-ride scholarships to their Judging Team. WOW!

By far the greatest benefit has been the boost to her self-esteem and the incredible improvement to her public speaking skills. She is not phased by getting up in front of crowds now. Quite the turn-around for a girl that used to be painfully shy.